A lot has changed in the world of content and copywriting over the last two years. Businesses are able to pursue the shortcut of using ChatGPT, Jasper, and other content-producing AI to do a job that previously used to be left for people. But the results may be less than you expected.
The human connection can’t be replicated by the machines. While that may seem obvious, when AI content is increasingly easy to generate, we tend to more heavily rely on the convenience.
ChatGPT and the other platforms don’t know your audience the way you do. They haven’t done the same consumer research. They aren’t writing to buyer personas. They can’t capture your brand voice with the same authenticity. A good human copywriter knows how to do these things and how to bring ideas and strategies to the table. They know how to bring value to your audience in a meaningful way.
Have You Ever Seen AI Laugh or Cry? (Me Either)
Think about the purchasing process in your industry from the customer’s perspective for a moment. They become interested. They Google. And all of a sudden they are inundated with responses. That search may begin to trigger ads. Now they have related PPC and social media content, too.
What I’m trying to say here is that there is no shortage of content to sift through. The results are everywhere. You need a way to stand out and that’s through emotionally compelling content. Humor, hope, joy…even fear and sadness are all emotions that can make your content memorable. When you can tap into these emotions in the right way, you can create content that resonates in a way that AI just can’t capture or replicate.
Content written by people can draw on lived experiences. It can lean on some of the nuances of language. An AI isn’t going to understand the pain points of your audience the way a human copywriter can. Whether it’s the struggle of buying a home, the joys and fears associated with parenting, or the reliance on certain equipment to keep your B2B business running, no AI is going to understand that in the same way. Incorporating that human, emotional feel in your content will help build trust and authenticity into the process.
AI Content Isn’t Authentic
According to the Google AI overview answer (an ironic source), people are seeing between 4,000 and 10,000 ads a day. A DAY! This seems like a lot until you think about our social media scrolling habits and how much screen time we all have each day. It’s no wonder why your audience is looking for anything that feels more authentic.
People crave interactions that are real and genuine. Think about the automated voice prompts on customer service calls. The ones where the recording tries to go a little too far in “helping” you with your problem. I know I’m not the only one who wants to scream “LET ME SPEAK TO A PERSON!” the second you step into one of those.
With marketing copy people have a choice. No one is going to voluntarily read hundreds – sometimes thousands – of words that don’t quite resonate and somehow just miss the mark. It’s not authentic. Trust is lost.
Human writers bring something special to the table. They can infuse that authenticity into the copy by reflecting either their values, experiences, and emotions. They can be vulnerable in ways that machines simply can’t.
True Creativity Belongs to People
The ability to generate original, groundbreaking ideas is something that is still uniquely human. Copywriting or marketing campaigns that go viral are the result of that creativity. The power of human imagination, coupled with the ability to adapt, experiment, and take risks, is what drives marketing innovation.
While AI is an excellent tool for optimizing content, analyzing data, and even producing formulaic copy, it cannot replace the originality and creativity that come from human minds. In the end, marketing is an art as much as it is a science, and art requires the touch of the human hand.
People-to-People Marketing Will Ultimately Drive Success
The human connection is as important as ever in marketing. Human copywriters and content creators bring emotion, build trust, and foster true creativity within the process. These are all traits you won’t find in AI copywriting.
As it becomes more and more difficult to reach the eyeballs of your audience, you’ll want content that provides value and emotionally resonates. There is no substitute for a professional copywriter at that point. Contact me today or email Matt@MatthewLBrennan.com today!
Matthew Brennan is a Chicago Copywriter and copy editor. He is also the author of Write Right-Sell Now and The Virus and Us.
